100 000 ‘camp’ in the forest
From the Autumn/Winter 2009 edition of Bush Telegraph Magazine.
The forest environment that the flying fox colony calls home. Above: Flying foxes use a palm tree limb as a bedroom. Photos by Howard Spencer
There is nothing subtle about a grey-headed flying fox camp.
What is up for adjudication is whether you can hear it or smell it first, and the jury is still out.
Love them or hate them, as some people do when these animals decide to take up residence at the end of the urban street, they are a fascinating cacophony of sound and movement day and night.
How any of them, and we are talking thousands here, get any sleep during the day as they hole up in their chosen camp, is anybody’s guess.
The camp appears to be a constant chattering mass of fur and leathery wings beating the air as they bicker and preen at the slightest provocation.
At dusk they are even busier, spiralling into the sky and circling their camp before appearing to make a democratic decision on who will fly where for the night’s foraging.
North East Region Forests NSW ecologist Matt Dobson is steward of thousands of these creatures in Inglebar State Forest, south of Macksville.
The camp, located along a creek, was detected in January 2006 by Forests NSW ecology team members Jamie Bertram, Kevin Harvey and Peter Simon during pre-harvest ecology surveys.
“At the time it was estimated that approximately 10,000 grey-headed flying-foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) of different age classes occupied the camp,” said Matt.
“Under threatened species rules, forestry activities must be excluded from the full extent of the flying-fox camp.
“If the camp contains black flying-foxes (Pteropus alecto) a 50 metre buffer must be implemented around the camp, and Forests NSW must consider implementing further exclusion zones to allow for seasonal expansion and movement.
“As black flying-foxes often coexist in camps with grey-headed flying-foxes, we could not rule out that the species were not using the camp during certain periods of the year outside of our survey effort.”
An exclusion zone was developed that used an area of moist forest brush box similar to the habitat in the camp, allowing for seasonal expansion and movement.
“Harvesting took place from 2007 to early 2008 with operations avoiding the critical breeding season period in the vicinity of the camp area to minimise disturbance,” Matt said.
A rough estimate in July 2008 came up with up to 100 000 flying foxes in the camp and the animals appeared to be using some of the area set aside as an exclusion zone.
Three species of flying foxes occur in New South Wales.
They are the grey-headed flying fox, which is the dominant species in this camp, and which is listed as vulnerable under the NSW Threatened Species Act, the black flying-fox, which was recently removed from vulnerable status, and the little red flying-fox.
“All three generally feed on fruit, nectar and blossom, and play important roles in plant pollination and seed dispersal,” Matt said.
The animals and their camps are protected in New South Wales.
Howard Spencer - Public Affairs & Media
